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Himesh Reshammiya involved in KHILADI 786 casting decisions

When KHILADI 786 was being conceptualised, one man who was always on the forefront was Akshay Kumar. While Himesh Reshammiya is also responsible for writing the film (other than co-producing it and also starring in it), he was also involved in other casting decisions. Since the film is about con games being played with cops in the middle of it all, there is everyone from Mithun Chakraborty, Raj Babbar, Mukesh Rishi and of course Akshay Kumar masquerading as a cop. However there was a slot open for another cop, a comical one at that. This is where Himesh brought in Rajesh Khattar.

RAJESH KHATTAR and HIMESH RESHAMMIYA

''When the casting was being done, many questioned if Rajesh would be able to do justice to the comical character of a funny Inspector from Punjab Police. It was Himesh who convinced all that Rajesh was the right choice and got him on board. His conviction proved to be right as Rajesh carried the role with aplomb,'' informs an insider.

It was quite some task for everyone to come on board though. After all, ever since Khattar had played Shahrukh Khan's boss in DON, there were similar characters being offered to him, hence threatening to typecast him as an actor. However due to his theatre background, Rajesh - who was vying for different roles anyways - was sure that he wanted to break the mould.

Says Khattar, ''Apart from knowing each other since long, I guess seeing my plays on stage had convinced Himesh about my comic timing. I am eternally grateful to him because if not for him, I would have lost the role and thus a chance to prove my versatility in varied roles, something which is so important for any performer. KHILADI 786 gave me a chance to work with a superstar like Akshay Kumar and a sterling starcast. It surely is going to be a turning point in my career.''